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By SONIA OWCHARIW

May 10, 2017 at 2:03 AM

NEWARK, NJ - Elias Chalet, First Ward Councilman of the Township of Bloomfield, entered a guilty plea to bribery charges Tuesday morning in Essex County Superior Court. The plea was made before Superior Court Judge Martin Cronin.

Chalet pleaded guilty to second-degree bribery in official of political matters. According to attorney Peter W. Tillman of Springfield, the other four charges were dropped as part of the plea. The prosecutor’s dropped charges of second-degree official misconduct, second-degree acceptance or receipt of unlawful benefit by a public servant for official behavior, fourth-degree tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and fourth-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution.

Attorney Tillman presented a $15,000 check to Deputy Prosecutor Brian Faulk for restitution. “Mr.Chalet felt very strongly about the act of handing over a check at the time of entering the plea.” Tillman said.

Chalet admitted to the court to taking $10,000 on Oct. 9, 2015 and $5,000 on Nov. 16, 2015. Speaking to the judge, he said, “I knew that it was a violation to take the money.”

Chalet was indicted by a grand jury on January 29, 2016 for soliciting the bribes. At the time, he was formally accused of promising a business owner that he would use his place on the Bloomfield Township Council to ensure that Bloomfield would continue its planned purchase of a commercial property.

Tillman made a recommendation to the court concerning Chalet’s medical difficulties be checked over by a state expert. On January 20 of this year, Attorney Till presented Chalet's medical records in a management conference with State prosecutors. , While the content of the medical records was not disclosed, Chalet had open heart surgery in April of 2016. Hon. Martin G. Cronin presided over the conference.

At the time of entering the plea, Tillman provided a document of Forfeiture that is official for Chalet’s resignation today from his Bloomfield Township Council seat. Chalet will be wearing a monitor over the next three years according to Tillman. Chalet maintained his council seat representing the First Ward of Bloomfield throughout the case. His term was to expire this year, earlier this year he stated that he would not run for re-election. Newcomer Jenny Mundell filed a petition to run as a Democrat for that seat, Former Bloomfield Councilman David Tucker filed a petition to run as a Republican.

Chalet’s sentencing is July 10 and faces five years in prison with eligibility for parole after two years.

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County’s Code Blue procedures are being activated through Tuesday, Jan. 22, due to extreme cold weather and cold in the forecast, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. and Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura announced on Thursday.

When a Code Blue is declared, a network of warming stations operated by the county and its municipalities as well as shelters ...

EAST ORANGE, NJ - The City of East Orange will host an evening of spoken word to commemorate the 90th birth anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Tuesday January 15 at East Orange City Hall at 6pm. All are welcome to attend.

The evening will include special performances by East Orange Poet Zayid Muhammad and students of East Orange Public Schools.

EAST ORANGE, NJ - The City of East Orange will host an evening of spoken word to commemorate the ...

EAST ORANGE, NJ - Under the direction of the Department of Policy & Planning, the City of East Orange has procured the services of UCEDC to provide professional training for local area ‘Micro’ business owners.

The training course will take place at the East Orange Senior Center 90 Hasted Street, East Orange with an Introduction to Entrepreneurship class on Tuesday January 15, 2019 6pm - ...

EAST ORANGE, NJ - Under the direction of the Department of Policy & Planning, the City of East ...

EAST ORANGE, NJ - Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, announced on Friday that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is seeking high school juniors to participate in the ECPO annual summer internship program.

This five-week program is designed to teach high school students about careers in law, law enforcement and government. The summer internship program will run from ...

TRENTON, NJ—SNAP recipients in New Jersey will be receiving their February benefits early because of the continued federal government shutdown.

The New Jersey Department of Human Services announced today that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who received a SNAP benefit in January and were scheduled to receive the benefit again in February will receive them on Jan. 19 ...

TRENTON, NJ—SNAP recipients in New Jersey will be receiving their February benefits early because ...

By
KYALO MULUMBA PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER ESSEX COUNTY BOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS

January 10, 2019

Essex County, NJ – Freeholder Brendan W. Gill of Montclair and Freeholder Wayne L. Richardson of Newark were unanimously re-elected President and Vice President, respectively, of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders during the Board’s annual Reorganization Meeting held on Wednesday, January 9, 2019, at the Hall of Records. The program featured appearances from Governor Phil Murphy, Essex ...

ESSEX COUNTY AREA, NJ — Essex County’s Code Blue procedures are being activated through Monyday, Jan. 14, due to extreme cold weather in the forecast, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. and Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura announced on Thursday.

When a Code Blue is declared, a network of warming stations operated by the county and its municipalities as well as shelters operated ...

WEST ORANGE, NJ — After hearing through NJ 101.5 evening radio host Steve Trevelise that his “oldest and dearest friend” Robbo Pisani, a fire captain with the North Hudson Fire Department, was struggling with kidney failure, West Orange resident Melissa Kohlman was so moved that she volunteered her own kidney for a living transplant.

In the weeks following the procedure, which was recently ...

WEST ORANGE, NJ — After hearing through NJ 101.5 evening radio host Steve Trevelise that his ...

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Although more than 700 sea turtles have been stranded this winter in the Northeast region of the United States, hundreds of which did not survive, 13 sea turtles are currently recuperating from the cold at Essex County Turtle Back Zoo’s Sea Turtle Recovery, New Jersey’s only long-term care hospital.

According to Sea Turtle Recovery, Inc., this winter has been brutal for ...

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Although more than 700 sea turtles have been stranded this winter in the ...